Justice Department seeks to isolate Alaska ballots amid criminal probe over Senate candidate
ANCHORAGE, Alaska —
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Department → seek → candidate
The U.S. Department of Justice pushed Friday for a court order to isolate certain Alaska ballots to investigate potential voter confusion, while federal officials confirmed the existence of a criminal probe over a Senate candidate who shares a name with the Republican incumbent.
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who → push → incumbent
The dueling developments came days before Tuesday's ranked choice general election, in a race headlined by two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola.
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developments → duel → Sullivan
The race is among a handful nationwide expected to determine control of the Senate.
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race → expect → Senate
Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman told reporters in Anchorage that the investigation has been ongoing for several months, but recent revelations from The New York Times that Peltola's campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan have resulted in a "significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska."
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campaign → tell → Alaska
Separately, the Justice Department — as part of a lawsuit it filed last week — asked a judge to order that state elections officials isolate ballots ranking Dan J. Sullivan to investigate potential voter "confusion" with the senator.
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officials → file → senator
The owner of a boat dealership in the candidate's hometown of Petersburg who had donated to his campaign told The Associated Press that an FBI agent visited the business and wanted to know whether he had been misled by Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy.
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he → donate → candidacy
He said he had not and that "Everybody knows who the incumbent is."
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incumbent → say → ?
Alaska Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Bryan Wilson, in a filing, said the government "seeks to preserve and segregate all ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan for the purposes of investigating whether such ranking was the product of voter confusion, should such an investigation become necessary."
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investigation → say → confusion
The Department of Justice also filed with the court a list of proposed questions it seeks to compel the Peltola campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to answer as part of the civil case seeking to block certification of the Senate race if the incumbent loses.
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incumbent → file → race
President Donald Trump has said he told the department to file the case.
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he → say → case
State elections officials made efforts to distinguish the two Sullivans on the ballot
Peltola denied Thursday that she knew anything about the effort to put Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot: "I am not interested in tricking voters," she said.
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she → make → voters
Democrats, including the DSCC, have repeatedly denied that they were involved in any campaign trick.
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they → include → trick
Dan J. Sullivan has long denied he was running at Democrats' behest.
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he → deny → behest
The request to segregate the ballots in Alaska comes after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Justice Department's request for California to set aside disputed ballots received in the midterm election sent to some 20,000 people the administration contends may not be U.S. citizens.
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administration → segregate → people
California officials argued the list is highly unreliable and most likely includes many people who are U.S. citizens.
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who → argue → people
Justice Department attorneys in the Alaska case said there is a "substantial risk" that Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy "will mislead voters and ultimately result in an electoral process that lacks integrity."
"To guard against this danger, the United States seeks an order directing Defendants to preserve and segregate all ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan for the purposes of investigating whether such ranking was the product of voter confusion, should such an investigation become necessary," the filing states.
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filing → say → confusion
It requests a decision by Monday.
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It → request → Monday
Attorneys for the state in response questioned how segregation would be possible, writing that voters' ballots are commingled in the ballot box on Election Day and that election workers couldn't segregate ballots ranking Dan J. Sullivan without violating ballot secrecy protections.
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workers → question → protections
Ballots segregated or not wouldn't reveal any voter's reason for voting for Dan J. Sullivan, they said.
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they → segregate → Sullivan
They have asked a judge to dismiss the case and said Alaska elections officials already took steps to distinguish the two Sullivans on the ballot.
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officials → ask → ballot
The senator is listed as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent, while the challenger is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation.
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challenger → list → affiliation
That's also how they appeared on the August open primary ballot.
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they → appear → ballot
Attorneys for the state also have argued that Alaska's ranked voting system further addresses concerns about potential confusion by allowing voters to rank both Sullivans.
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voters → argue → Sullivans
Timing of Justice Department announcements unusual
Heyman on Friday would not say what potential crimes authorities are looking into or the targets of the probe, but asked members of the public to come forward with tips that could help investigators.
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that → say → investigators
It's highly unusual for Justice Department officials to publicly discuss a criminal investigation or even confirm its existence.
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officials → discuss → existence
The timing of the press conference is particularly notable given the Justice Department has had a longstanding practice of avoiding taking public steps in the weeks leading up to an election that could be perceived as attempting to influence a political outcome.
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that → give → outcome
Trump during a rally late Friday in Florida said Peltola and Dan J. Sullivan should be prosecuted.
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Peltola → say → Florida
He noted U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche was in attendance and said, "He's going to make his own decision."
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He → note → decision
Trump, then addressing Blanche directly, said of decisions regarding the case, "Todd, please make your own," and watched Blanche's response.
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Trump → address → response
Trump added: "OK, he said 'yes.'"
Peltola, at a campaign rally in Anchorage late Friday, said she is "so deeply offended by these accusations about having any involvement with anyone else's candidacy."
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she → add → candidacy
She said she doesn't need any help in winning the race outside of the support of voters.
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she → say → voters
She was asked before the rally if it was possible that someone on her campaign was involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan: "I have no idea," she told KTUU.
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she → ask → KTUU
"I honestly have no idea."
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I → have → idea
The Times story revealing the potential recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan was based partly on interviews with a former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, who was fired before the August primary.
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who → reveal → primary
Asked about Rios by the station, Peltola said certain people are "gone for a good reason.
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people → ask → reason
If I could fire them again, I'd be happy to fire them again.
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I → fire → them
Federal prosecutors this week issued dozens of grand jury subpoenas and requests to preserve records, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
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person → issue → Press
Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said, following The New York Times' reporting, that he'd ordered an investigation into whether any violations took place.
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violations → say → place
Meanwhile, the Alaska Democratic Party has sued state elections officials, alleging absentee in-person voting sites did not open as advertised in some rural communities.
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sites → sue → communities
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
